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New England Patriots (10-0)
Here's my dream scenario, and it's right from the last scene of the movie, Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, which happens to be my No. 8 film of all time. Colin Smith, the cross country star for his borstal (reformatory) team, has a big lead on the hotshot from the fancy public school, which in Britain means private school, and in one grand gesture of defiance of the country and the system and everything, he tanks the race. Loses it deliberately. Now it's the 16th game of the season. The 15-0 Patriots, with nothing more to clinch, are facing the Giants. So does Belichick go for the unbeaten record and immortality, or in one grand gesture of defiance toward a system that has derided and scorned and fined him heavily, bench his regulars? If his answer is the curled lip and the raised middle digit, I will personally escort him to the Court of St. James, where I will make sure knighthood will be bestowed. Not because I champion his innocence, I just like to see the establishment get it where it hurts.

It's actually a pretty funny scenario, quite congruent with the team's GFY NFL season. I've fantasized similar outcomes myself. The reason it will forever be fantasy is that BB is a quiet history student of the game. Other teams won multiple SB, while NOBODY ever went 16-0, 19-0.

EDIT: and I agree with the prior post that it would be blatantly unfair to the players

i actually like that idea if the nfl promotes the game like anything but BB wont do it because he would want to keep a winning momentum. otherwise it would be an ultimate eff you to march down the field to the goal line and take a knee 3 times everytime.

how about, we play our second string the whole first half and let the Giants score as much as they can then in the second half put in the starters to finish and win by 14 still! that would be the big #($*@!

I actually see Belichick playing to win the final game (if we go 15-0), then after that (if we go 16-0), he's going to tell team: "16-0? Big [bleeping] deal. That means nothing. That's not going to win you the next game. Can I get a Hallelujah?"

i actually like that idea if the nfl promotes the game like anything .

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on the topic of the nfl promoting the game...has it dawned on people yet that, unless you have a dish, outside of the Boston and New York (admittedly large) media markets, this game will be seen by Bryant Gumbel's relatives and the other 25 subscribers to the NFL network? the game won't be on cable in football crazy markets like chicago, Philly, Pittsburgh, the Bay Area, Florida and Texas plus all the states "between the coasts." It won't be on cable in Miami itself, the city with the greatest stake in the outcome of the game outside of New England.

on the topic of the nfl promoting the game...has it dawned on people yet that, unless you have a dish, outside of the Boston and New York (admittedly large) media markets, this game will be seen by Bryant Gumbel's relatives and the other 25 subscribers to the NFL network? the game won't be on cable in football crazy markets like chicago, Philly, Pittsburgh, the Bay Area, Florida and Texas plus all the states "between the coasts." It won't be on cable in Miami itself, the city with the greatest stake in the outcome of the game outside of New England.

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It wont even be shown in NE (outside of Boston) unless you have the NFL Network (which thankfully I do).

on the topic of the nfl promoting the game...has it dawned on people yet that, unless you have a dish, outside of the Boston and New York (admittedly large) media markets, this game will be seen by Bryant Gumbel's relatives and the other 25 subscribers to the NFL network? the game won't be on cable in football crazy markets like chicago, Philly, Pittsburgh, the Bay Area, Florida and Texas plus all the states "between the coasts." It won't be on cable in Miami itself, the city with the greatest stake in the outcome of the game outside of New England.